Mel's Story
by AubergineSnowdrop
Summary: Mel has always yearned to be a green rider, but what if a brooch never calls her? These are Mel's adventures at Selium and beyond. I promise swordfights, friendship, betrayal, and excitement.
1. Chapter 1

Captain Laren of the Green Riders swung her lantern out in front of her. The light illuminated a girl, about 13 with hazel eyes and light brown hair. It played across her high cheekbones, her strong square chin, and her nose spattered with freckles. The girl's clothes were dirty with dust from the mostly unused corridors that she had taken refuge in.

"We've been looking all over for you! Karigan was about to leave, but she wanted to say goodbye. Why are you hiding down here?" Laren huffed out her breath in annoyance as she took in her adopted daughter's bedraggled appearance.

The girl stared back at Laren, her jaw set.

"Why is she just throwing it all away? If she doesn't want to be a rider, why did the brooch choose her and not me?" Her lip started to quiver. "I don't want her to go."

Laren stared at her daughter blankly for a moment, then she shook herself and wrapped an arm around the girl.

"Mel, not saying goodbye won't stop her from going. Karigan has duties, a life she needs to return to-" she cut off her words. Even to herself, she sounded unconvincing. Laren tried a different tack.

"Mel, I know how much you want to be a Green Rider, but don't you think you should explore other options? Even if a brooch does call you, most people are released after five or so years. Being a rider can't be your entire life. Have you thought about going to Selium and getting an education there?" As she spoke, Laren felt Mel pulling away from her. The girl focused accusing eyes on Laren.

"It has been an entire life for you! You've had the brooch for what, twenty years? Why can't that happen to me? This is all I want, all I've ever wanted. This _has_ been my life. I, I thought…" her voice trailed off as her eyes began to fill. Wiping her nose on her dirty sleeve, she tried again. "I thought you said I was the perfect person to be a rider. Now you're saying I might never be called?" She turned and fled the corridor, heading back towards the office of the clerk Dakrias. The captain stared after Mel, mentally pounding herself.

* * *

Mel waved goodbye to Karigan before hurrying back to her room. When she got there, she found a note lying on her bed, along with a pouch. The note was in Karigan's handwriting. It read:

 _I'm hope I'll see more of you in the future. Here is a little gift to remember me by. It is a shard of the moonstone that helped to defeat Shawdell. I haven't found a use for the remaining shards yet, but they've served me well in the past. If you do go to Selium, I hope you'll take a lesson from my experiences. Try not to get yourself expelled!_

Mel smiled to herself and drew out the shard. She held it up to the light, admiring the colors that came out when she did so. It dispelled her unhappy thoughts of leaving the palace, and she began to reflect on last summer. She had been out of the way for so much of it, but she remembered the fear and distress she had felt when she thought the king and Captain Laren were dead. Fortunately, they had defeated the Amilton and the Eletian in their plot to take over the kingdom and unleash wild magic over the whole land.

She reread the note and frowned at the mention of Selium. So the captain had mentioned her plan to Karigan. Mel would just have to figure out a way to stop it and stay at the palace before it was too late.

 **I hope you enjoyed this! This story is about Mel and her adventures at Selium. Upcoming characters include Karigan's friend Estral and her old arms teacher, but there probably won't be much interaction with the palace-central characters. I thought Mel was a very interesting character that wasn't explored very much in the books, so I decided to write about her. I will be updating this regularly, I promise. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

Laren looked in Mel's doorway and smiled at her daughter's sleeping form. The girl was curled up on top of her covers. One hand was curled into a fist, and the other rested lightly on top of the covers. Her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath, and a lock of hair over her nose fluttered.

Laren wondered how to tell her that she had made arrangements for Mel to go to Selium the following week. The girl had seemed so against the idea, but it was what was best for her, right? Mel would be safe at Selium. The events of the summer had scared Laren more than she let on. If Mel had been hurt… But it did no good to go down that path.

There were other reasons for Mel to go away too. She would be free of the politics and machinations of the court. She would have a chance to find herself, find out who she was when she wasn't _the girl who wants to be a rider._ Still mulling over whether it was the best thing to do, Laren shut the door softly and went to her office to go over reports.

* * *

Mel awoke to a sharp pain in her hand. She had been clutching the shard of moonstone so tightly it had left an imprint on her hand. It was a strange gift for Karigan to give her, but she appreciated what it meant. It was a piece of Eletia, a symbol of light and truth. It might be broken, but it still carried that power. She knew she would carry it with her wherever she went.

Not that she was going anywhere. There was no way she would allow herself to be pushed away like that. The palace was her home, and it was the place she meant to stay. Her whole life was here. What would she have if she left?

Mel had to tell the captain. She had to make it clear that there was no way she was leaving the palace to go anywhere, even to a place that sounded as nice as Selium, so she got up from her bed and left the room without even bothering to clean herself up. Her clothes were still dusty from the corridors under the palace and her short hair was a mess from sleep, but she was focused on her mission.

She ran to the captain's office and stopped in the doorway. The captain looked up, bemused.

"I just want you to know that I'm going to stay at the palace until the day I die and nothing you do will change that," the words tumbled out of Mel. She saw the captain open her mouth to respond, but ran away before she heard the words. She had duties to get to after all! There was no way the captain would send her away now.

Mel flew through the rest of the day without worry. Her earlier distress over Karigan leaving remained, but only as a ghost in the back of her mind. It had been overshadowed momentarily by the threat of going to Selium, but now that she had set things straight, both worries were banished from her mind. She was happy to stay where she was.

* * *

A week later, Mel stood on the boat that was taking her to Selium. The wind sent her stumbling across the deck to the edge, where she looked down into the murky water. She heard the captain come up beside her and turned her face away. The captain let out a sigh.

"Mel, you can't stay mad at me forever. I know you don't see it this way right now, but going to Selium is the best thing for you. Imagine a life where your only friends are at the palace, your only education coming from the books that librarians lend you."

"It's worked pretty well for me so far," Mel muttered darkly into her coat.

"This is an _opportunity_ for you, a chance to better yourself in this world. Trust me, Mel, good things come to those seize chances like this." The captain heard herself slip into a pleading tone, and immediately shut up. Parenting was so much harder than organizing her Riders! She switched to a more direct tone.

"Mel, you can choose to be happy about it or not, but you can't change the fact that you are going to Selium!" The last words were a shout as Mel ran across to the other side of the deck, dodging sailors and workers. Laren shook her head and went below decks to her cabin. She had a feeling that if they ever managed to set sail, it was going to be pretty bumpy. She didn't want to be standing up for that.

* * *

Mel stared into the silty water below her. All around her she heard the whistling of the wind and the shouts of sailors as they prepared to set sail. They all knew who they were. Every one of those sailors had a place in life that was entirely theirs. They were part of something, necessary to keep the ship sailing. Would she ever find her niche, her place in life? She had thought it was with the Riders, but maybe she should loosen her hold on that dream and catch another. Maybe going to Selium wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. Maybe she would find herself there, among the books and music that she was sure permeated every facet of student life. Maybe she would be satisfied, finally.

* * *

 **Here it is, finally! I'm so sorry it took that long. There is no excuse that can make up for it. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness and promise to be better in the future. And I will be better. I'm on a schedule now, so I no longer have any excuse not to write. I'm going to try updating once or twice a week for a while. It will probably be on Sunday, but don't hold me to that. One reason I didn't update is that I didn't really know here this story was going to go. I spent a lot of that time thinking about the story and what was going to happen, I just didn't write anything down. Now that I have my outline all written out, I can really get down to writing.**

 **I'm exited for this! I hope you are too.**

 **Even when I'm not writing, I love to receive reviews! All feedback helps.**

 **Replies:**

 **spatsypatty: Thanks for you review! I'm excited to write more. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is! Chapter 3. And even if I didn't manage to stick to the once a week thing, it's a lot earlier than chapter two was. I have a lot of time to write tomorrow, so I'll try to get another chapter out by Thursday-ish. I'm going on a band trip then (I'm soooooososososo excited, I can't wait), so it might be a while after that until I post the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Mel stared into the dim stone room blankly, silently comparing it to her room in the palace. It was small and dimly lit, the only light coming from a few lanterns hung around the room. The girl standing beside Mel shook her head at Mel's expression.

You're one of lucky ones," she said. Mel tried to remember her name. Emily? Cecily? Something like that.

"You got a single," the girl continued. "Most of us have to share a room with someone else, but you've got all this space just for you. Oh, don't look at me like that!" She responded to Mel's disbelieving face. "You won't spend much time in here anyways, but it's nice to have a room all to yourself. I can't even leave my clothes on the floor for fear my roommate will get mad at me, and I'm a naturally messy person." Against her wishes, Mel began to like this girl's endless optimism. It brought a smile onto her own face and cracked the frown that had been lingering there for weeks now. She began to regret the way she had acted when Laren had dropped her off...

They had ridden to Selium along with a caravan of merchants. Mel was sorry to separate from them when they reached the city. She had enjoyed watching the mundane details of merchant life, the countless inspections and inventories, the neverending bargaining, even for things as small as which horse rode in the front. It was so different from her life in the palace, and Mel loved to explore new things. By the time they reached the city though, she was ready for a new adventure.

As they passed through the outer limits of the city, Mel had started to notice the similarities to Sacor city. On the outer limits, Mel saw taverns and brothels catering to travelers looking to spend a night before continuing on their way. Farther into the city there were bustling markets filled with food sellers and textile merchants. Mel cast about but was forlorn to see no chocolate shop. How would she survive the long winter months without chocolate to keep her going?

When they reached the ring of the city just outside the school, she noticed shops catering to the supply needs of the students. Mel had watched in fascination as chattering groups of students rushed in out of these shops. There were bakeries and small restaurants here, overflowing with students relaxing on their free day. They seemed so effortlessly happy…

They rode through the school gates to the center of campus, where the Golden Guardian's office rose tall above the other buildings. Inwardly, Mel had marveled at the architecture of the school as they rode through, though she maintained her frowning appearance. The Guardian was out for the duration of the month, so a clerk had taken down Mel's information and gave her a room assignment.

Laren had turned towards Mel and held out her arms for a hug that Mel rigidly endured. "Bye...I'll write," Laren said. She seemed at loss for more words, and Mel had turned away before the woman could think of anything, leaving Laren to hover silently for a moment before she, too, turned and walked away. As Laren swung onto her horse Mel had thought, _How could you leave me alone here?_ She wanted to scream at Laren's back, _Why are you thrusting me into this unfamiliar place with these people I don't know and these classes I've never heard of and this world I've never been a part of?_ In the palace she had known her own place in the world. She had been in control, even chaos had ensued all around her. Here at Selium, she was completely out of her depth.

"Cecily will guide you to your room and show you around," the clerk said, breaking Mel out of her contemplation. He spoke in a monotone that told of endless repetitions of these words, and gestured to a girl in the corner engrossed in a book. Sighing, Cecily had gotten up, laid the book gently on the chair where she had been sitting, and led Mel out of the room.

Now the same girl regarded Mel as she surveyed the room with distaste. When spoke, Mel could hear the laughter coming through her voice. "Don't worry, it's not so bad here. The teachers are pretty nice, and we get Saturdays off. My advice? Try not to offend any of the chiefs' children. They can make your life hell if they want to." She laughed out loud when she saw Mel's expression. "Don't _worry!_ They'll only do that if you get in their way. They probably won't even notice you. Besides, I'll help you," she said, offering up a smile that Mel felt her own face returning.

"Thanks…" Mel muttered, grateful.

"It's no problem! I'm used to showing new students around, and believe me, some of them are a lot grumpier than you." She winked at Mel, taking the sting out of her words. "Now, you'll probably want something to eat after your journey, or would you rather rest? Nevermind, come with me and I'll show you the best place in town to get food after class. They serve breakfast all day long! Isn't that amazing?" Chattering rapidly, Cecily began to walk down the corridor, leaving Mel to stare after her. She stood still for a moment, then shook her head and ran after her new friend.

 **Sooo… yeah. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. Do you think Mel is getting too moody? Hopefully Cecily will help her cheer up. You know teens. *Heavy sigh and shrug* :) But this was more of a filler chapter, and we'll be getting to the real action soon! Also… I just got a pinterest, and at first it had a lot of variety and was full of great things, and then I discovered the rabbit hole of Harry Potter (actually, marauders) pinterest, and I've been falling own it ever since. I'm really inspired to write about groups of friends, so I can't wait for Mel to find her own best friends.**

 **See you soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm a little late with this one. I've had massive writer's block for the past few weeks, and I'm hoping that it's gone now. I find that the more detailed I am with my outlines, the less writer's block I get, but that didn't work quite as well for this one. Sometimes the words just won't flow.**

The next few days were relatively uneventful- a blessing for Mel. She struggled to keep up with the whirlwind of new activities that consumed her days and nights. She was glad that she had arrived a few days before the school year officially started, before the rest of the students flooded the premises. In the mornings, she attended classes and in the afternoons she would explore the school grounds until dinner, when she would meet up with Cecily and her friends. On her second day at Selium, they went out to eat at a restaurant that Cecily claimed had the "best dessert in Sacoridia." Mel was doubtful, (Could anything be better than dragon droppings?), but when she got to her room that night, she collapsed on her bed from the sheer pleasure of tasting ice cream.

Zofia, a girl a few years older than Mel with dark hair that fell in heavy braids to her waist, laughed as Mel's eyes sprung open on her first bite.

"I had that look on my face the first time Cecily took me here, too," she said, smiling at the memory. "That's the good thing about being friends with someone who has lived here practically her whole life. She knows all the best places in town."

"It almost makes up for her bossiness," contributed a fair-haired boy as he slid into the seat beside Zofia. His eyes crinkled into a smile. "So, just arrived are you? It's good to meet another one of Cecily's adoptions." As he spoke, he reached over and snagged a bite of Cecily's dessert.

"This is Julian. He doesn't seem to understand that without me and my so-called bossiness, his pretty head would still be stuck in the mud behind the mess hall," Cecily put in, mock glaring at him. She slid her hand around her bowl to protect the ice cream for further attacks.

The boy sighed ruefully. "Unfortunately, it's true. I arrived just after Karigan G'ladheon beat Timas Mirwell soundly in a duel, and I couldn't control my laughter. It's only thanks to Cecily's diplomatic skills that she was able to rescue me and keep me from being totally humiliated in my first week."

Mel shook her head at the picture. She remembered Karigan telling her the story, and it was as funny now as it had been then. Mel took another bite if her ice cream, savoring the sweet vanilla flavor. If only someone combined chocolate and ice cream, they would have the perfect dessert. She directed her next question towards Cecily. "How long have you been here? How do you know so much about this place?"

She smiled and let out a breath. "It's not much of a story. My mother was a seamstress in the outer city, so I know my way around there pretty well. I never dreamed that I would be smart enough or have the money to get into the school, but just before she died, my ma got a patroness who commissioned her for an entire dress. In her will, she left everything to me and told me to use it to reach my dreams, so I ended up here, training to be a healer. I'll never be helpless again when someone I love is dying."

"Wow," Mel breathed. "How did she die?" Immediately after she said it, she realized the bluntness of her words and a blush began to creep up her neck.

Cecily let out a bitter smile. "It was a fever. It swept through her body in a matter of days. If I had known what I know now…I might have saved her." She looked down.

Zofia reached over and squeezed Cecily around the shoulders, frowning at Mel. Julian gave her a strained smile. In the silence that followed, Mel wished she could sink underneath the table and disappear. Her second day and she was already embarrassing herself in front of the people she most wanted to impress. What would the rest of the year be like?

The next morning, Mel awoke to a thumping noise outside of her room. She got out of her bed and ran to open the door. In the doorway to the room is across from her a boy sat on a trunk, his shoulders heaving. She watched as he sat there for a moment before standing up, stretching out his arms, and attempting to drag the trunk into his room again. He huffed in frustration as his hair fell into his eyes. Before Mel could offer to help him, he threw his strength into one last attempt and managed to bring the trunk beside his bed.

"Wow," Mel commented. "What could you possibly have in there?" The boy looked up suddenly, startled to see her there.

He offered her a sheepish grin. "My family says I always pack too many books, but how am I supposed to help myself when they just stare at me from my bookcase while I'm packing?" His face turned so pitiful that Mel couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What do like to read?" she asked. He began to pull books out of his trunk, laying them in a circle surrounding the bed. Her eyes widened as the pile grew and grew.

"How do you have room for clothes in there?" she asked.

"I got my friend to bring some of them for me. I'm Noah by the way. Are you new? I don't think I've seen you here before."

Mel told him her story of how she had been forced to come. He listened interestedly, but when she told him that it was her dream to become a rider, his face contorted and he winced. Mel was shocked. She knew that there was some anti-rider sentiment. She had even come up against it at the palace, but such a strong reaction was discouraging.

"I'm sorry," Noah apologized. "I'll try not to judge you for your choice. But seriously, the Green Riders? Not only are they obsolete, they used to use _magic._ Why would you want to be part of something like that?"

Mel just blinked at him. Who was this person? She had to be careful not to reveal what she knew about the brooches. But how could anyone still think of magic as an evil thing? Sure, Mornhaven had devastated them with it, but what about the Eletians? What about the hundreds of people who had used magic for good during the war? She shook off those thoughts and tried to make her escape. Noah, completely unaware of the inner turmoil that he had just caused for Mel, waved cheerfully as she returned to her room and went back to his books.

The rest of the day passed slowly for Mel. Since the official school year hadn't started, only a few teachers were teaching classes, and most of those were large lectures. Mel was indistinguishable from the other sleepy, only half paying attention, slightly bored students. Since the summer classes weren't graded and they didn't build on previous knowledge, no one was taking any notes. After classes let out, Mel joined up with Cecily and friends again. The awkwardness of yesterday seemed to be forgotten.

The rest of her week flew by. Cecily introduced her to a new feature of Selium each day, and at night Mel would do her best to avoid Noah and his views on the riders on her way to bed. She fell into a routine that made the days go by quickly, and before she knew it, the week was over and classes were about to start. Mel prepared herself for the long grind of school.

 **DUN DUN DUN DUN. Maybe the ending wasn't quite that dramatic, but did you catch the tension between Mel and Noah? Hmm, I wonder if his views will come up again. The next chapter is almost finished, so expect it soon. Remember to review!**


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